Getting groups of buyers together to cut costs has been tried with everything from health insurance to organic foods.

Now, a San Francisco company is taking a similar approach to solar power. They say that by gathering homeowners to buy solar power systems as a group, they can bring each a savings in the neighborhood of 23 percent — on top of the large discounts and credits offered by state and federal governments.

The company, called One Block Off the Grid, is offering their service around the country. In Orange County, it’s part of their “Los Angeles campaign.” The first step: go to the company’s online estimate tool, plug in the kind of system you want, and find out how much it costs.

“The solar industry doesn’t do it right now,” said Dave Llorens, co-founder and general manager of the company. “The old thinking was, you don’t want to scare off the customers with big numbers till you get in the living room, and salespeople can convey the value proposition.”

But customers interested in solar power can immediately hit a wall of frustration, he said. The power systems and financing can be so complex that even the usual approach of getting three estimates and comparing them might not work.